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WJCC Seeks Superintendent Input At Public Forum; Burckbuchler Says He'll Apply

By Amber Lester Tuesday, September 14, 2010

The Williamsburg-James City County School Board wants to know: What kind of superintendent best fits the district?

Parents and concerned citizens have their chance to share what characteristics they would like the next WJCC schools leader to possess at an open forum tonight. The forum will begin at 7 p.m. at Lafayette High School.

The school board is looking for a superintendent to replace Gary Mathews, who accepted a position in Newton County, Ga. at the end of the last school year. Former Assistant Superintendent of Finance Scott Burckbuchler is acting as superintendent until a permanent replacement is chosen in December. The board plans to draft a job vacancy notice on Sept. 20 and accept applications until Oct. 16.

Burckbuchler confirmed Monday he will be applying for the job. Any superintendent candidate must live in or be willing to move to the district; Burckbuchler’s Smithfield home is currently on the market. When he took over the job in May, he eliminated his own position as head of the finance department and appointed Rene Ewing as senior director for finance.

The Virginia Department of Education maintains a list of eligible educators currently licensed to be superintendents. Burckbuchler is not on the list, but Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services Dianna Lindsay is licensed. Burckbuchler does not have classroom teaching experience, but has more than 10 years of experience in school administration. He has worked in school finance since earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in public affairs and administration from the University of Connecticut; he has since earned an education specialist degree and completed a doctorate of philosophy in education at Old Dominion University in 2008.

An individual seeking licensure to become a division superintendent must possess either a master's or doctoral degree and have classroom and/or administrative experience. The state has four routes to licensure; only one of them does not require classroom teaching experience, instead recognizing a senior leadership position and a school board recommendation as sufficient credentials.

In March, the school board agreed to conduct a national search with the help of the Virginia School Board Association; the search will cost $10,000 plus fees. The board met with VSBA Executive Director Frank Barham and Assistant Executive Director Gina Patterson in May to discuss how the search will be conducted. At that time, Barham and Patterson recommended the board invite all eligible internal candidates to apply and guarantee them interviews. Barham said interviewing internal candidates not only builds good morale, but could lead to the perfect candidate, already familiar with the division’s challenges and needs.

The board agreed to keep the names of candidates private in an effort to keep good candidates in the race; Barham said many will withdraw their applications if their names are released. Instead of involving the public in the interview process, the board wants citizens to share input at the forum and by taking its online survey. The survey asked participants to rank certain qualifications, personality traits and skills in order of importance.

 

Comments  

 
-1 #10 Guest 2010-09-14 18:06
Burckbuckler and the school board have done an excellent job since Mathews left. They are in the process of dismantling the administrative staff down to something reasonable. I mean, really, how many assistant superintendents does a system this size need? Mathews was building a kingdom and nobody could get to him. Burckbuckler is much more accessible although no doubt very busy. I like most of what he has done so far and I hope the school board supports him. :-)
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+5 #9 Guest 2010-09-14 14:01
If our acting superintendent had a hand in either the redistricting fiasco or in the contrived schools of choice option for those at DJ, he should remove himself from consideration from this position. It's time for real leadership.
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-5 #8 Guest 2010-09-14 11:06
I agree with the sentiment written up to this posting. However, we voted in the existing school board, as bad as many of them are. The school board, being elected, now feels they can do as they please. We have a small chance to stop this by going on the record against hiring Burchbuchler. Posting on WY Daily and Va Gazette is not enough. Concerned citizens need to show up at the forum tonight. Be seen and be heard. Start a written petition. Remind our elected board that they serve at our leisure. They represent us and we will not stand for anymore back room deals. Make it clear that going against the will of the people they represent is a scandal. And we all know the news media loves a good scandal.

It is looking more every day like Burckbuchler has been given some insider indication that he has a good chance of getting the job. Why else would his house be on the market in Smithfield and eliminate his former position? I would also be interested in knowing the time line around his the start and completion of the doctorate in philosophy. Was this part of an agreement between him, the board and Mathews? This thing stinks of politics as usual.

See you tonight!
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+4 #7 Guest 2010-09-14 10:12
Sorry, but the interim superintendent shold be taken out of the pool immediately by the School Board because it is a deterrent to other QUALIFIED and CERTIFIED applicants with EXPERIENCE to apply when there is an internal applicant. Is the SB required to interview him? If not, then they should politely but firmly deny this applicant as a viable candidate for the Superintendent of Schools. Why would the SB consider an internal applicant who is not licensed? Would the SB consider a TEACHER or a GUIDANCE COUNSELOR who isn't licensed? It smacks of insider trading and cronyism if the SB were to accept the application to consider the interim.
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-11 #6 Guest 2010-09-14 09:09
AGAIN!...how many years has it been where OUR 'superiintenden ts' were NOT anywhere near a 'local leader'? How many times has our local 'leader' been paid off to leave or left early with us holding the proverbial $$$ bag?
And who, by gosh, has been responsible for choosing OUR supertendents? Can YOU say...OUR School Board? Go figure!
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+6 #5 Guest 2010-09-14 09:06
I don't think "a senior leadership position and a school board recommendation" are sufficient qualifications for the next superintendent. I can't even begin to understand why you would hire a superintendent without some teaching experience. Nothing like having someone in charge of teachers who has never done their job. Please choose someone other than Burckbuchler!
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+5 #4 Guest 2010-09-14 08:54
I am surprised that NO WAY! didn't use their name. From what they have written, they should be the first to throw their hat in the ring to run for School Board. Announce now and keep your representative from seeking reelection.
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+2 #3 Guest 2010-09-14 07:09
Our existing School Board and Acting School Superintendent need to go! They have made enough of a mess of the WJC School System already! It's time for fresh faces with new and innovative ideas. A school board who actually cares about the children's education and not about which school their own child will be attending would be a welcomed change. We need a school board who will actually use the advice they get from the professional contractors they hire. A school board that will offer MANY options for schools that don't meet the standards instead of inconvenient and illogical options would be welcomed as well...or perhaps a school board who recognizes struggling schools from the start and makes wise decisions on staffing the school's administration and faculty positions in an effort to correct the issues would also be nice. A school superintendent with PROVEN experience and leadership skills in another school district makes much more sense than hiring the current acting superintendent. He was part of the redistricting process this year, and as head of the finance department and acting school superintendent, threw away thousands of dollars on a professional contractor's recommendations ! He has no real world experience as a superintendent, and in a district that is having its share of issues, is it responsible of the school board to hire someone with absolutely no experience?! The Board may think that it'll save them some money by hiring Burkbuchler, but it'll truly be a disservice to their constituents and the children of WJCC.

WE NEED NEW LEADERSHIP! WE NEED A NEW BOARD AND A NEW SUPERINTENDENT!

Do your part to see that the existing board is not re-elected at the end of their terms! If they won't listen to their constituents, we'll elect folks who will.
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+17 #2 Guest 2010-09-14 06:48
God bless anybody who would want this job in this town.
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-2 #1 Guest 2010-09-14 06:40
The next super needs to have a bit of Mussolini in him/her just to get those dang buses to run on time. 8)

We finally gave up and joined the parental convoy of mini-vans wastefully shuttling the kids to and from school because the bus is consistently 45m to an hour late home each day.
In the mornings they have to sit on the bus in front of the school for 15 minutes because they arrive too soon.
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